The present invention relates to decorative materials used as surface materials for furniture, household things, wall materials and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to decorative materials with grain patterns rich in three-dimensional appearance that highly resemble natural trees, featuring design character of high quality.
Decorative sheets having printed patterns resembling grain patterns of natural trees have been extensively utilized as surface materials for furniture, household things and wall materials. For example, there has been known a decorative sheet obtained by forming a transparent resin coating layer having luster on the whole surface of a grain printed pattern of a starting paper of decorative sheet that has the grain printed pattern formed by imparting grain printed pattern on the starting paper for decoration, and then forming a delustering printed layer that corresponds to grains and tracheae on some portions of the transparent resin coating layer. There has also been known a decorative sheet (Japanese Patent Publication No. 331/1978) obtained by forming a delustering printed layer that corresponds to the grain tracheae and a lustering printed layer that corresponds to non-trachea portion other than the delustering printed layer on the starting paper for decorative sheet that has a grain printed pattern formed by imparting the grain printed pattern to the starting paper for decoration.
Between the above-mentioned conventional decorative sheets, the decorative sheet obtained by forming the delustering printed layer that corresponds to the grains and tracheae on some portions of the transparent resin coating layer has a trachea pattern of a delustering ink on the uppermost surface of the decorative sheet. Therefore, the trachea pattern does not give impression on recessed portions. Moreover, since only two kinds of lusters are expressed on the decorative sheet, the appearance is monotonous and lacks real grain pattern of a natural tree. Furthermore, the conventional decorative sheet does not have sufficient resistance against abrasion at the trachea portions.
Sufficient resistance against abrasion is not obtained, either, at the trachea pattern portions in the case of the latter conventional decorative sheet that has the delustering printed layer corresponding to the grains and tracheae and the lustering printed layer that corresponds to non-trachea portions other than the delustering printed layer. Moreover, only two kinds of lusters are expressed on the decorative sheet, and the appearance is monotonous. Furthermore, since the lustering printed pattern portion and the delustering printed pattern portion are in negative and positive relationship, the underlying pattern is exposed when the register of printing is deviated. Therefore, the surface characteristics of the exposed portions are deteriorated, and add texture stemming from the exposure of the underlying pattern deteriorates the effects of design.